Originally Posted by Zunaid
Few incidents? That's where we have our cognitive dissonance. Muslims are not any more violent than the other dude but you have to admit that a vocal, virulent, and violent minority has taken over the narrative and worse. Atrocities of the past are irrelevant. Atrocities by the other is irrelevant. What is relevant is that the religion has been hijacked and too many are too willing to play the blame game or the comparison game instead of setting their own house in order. Until then, the mud will stick.

Doc, you know I meant relatively few incidents. Let me give you an example...imagine a Satanic Cult with 100 members, all of whom must complete a blood sacrifice to complete initiation. Every single one of them is violent. In contrast if 101 Muslims commit the same excesses, Muslims are absolutely more violent, but relatively less so.

If Muslims are really and truly not any more violent than the other dude, do Muslims alone require admonishing? I understand that what others do is irrelevant and I agree with it. I also agree with the ideal of holding oneself up to a higher standard...to a point perhaps.

But the cognitive dissonance that I'm speaking of can be illustrated in yet another recent BC thread...that of the NYC Fed would-be-bomber, quasi-Mohammadan al Bangali whatever. Here you have a large body of posters asking why [most? all?] Muslims are violent and intolerant...and thats OK because we're talking about Benghazi. But when the fellow happens to be from Bangladesh, a hundred and one babies are whining about "oh, this is going to make all of us Bangladeshis look bad" and "amra to akhon ar visa pabo na." Wait, a second. Aren't 90% of Bangladeshis Muslims? And aren't all Muslims violent and intolerant as per the thread title? It must necessarily follow that most, if not all, Bangladeshis seeking to enter the US must also be violent and intolerant? So why are we griping about them suddenly not being able to enter the land of opportunity?

Like Romney's economic plan, our worldview simply doesn't add up. Maybe the intent is not bad, but the math most certainly is.